Heli Lua,b, Guifang Liua,*, Zhong Huanga, Quntao Yanga

ABSTRACT: Taking the Xishuangbanna district in Southwest China as the study region, we made a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of the carbon benefits and ecological benefits of the programme for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) while enhancing forest carbon sequestration capacity in developing countries. It was found that carbon emissions in the study region increased and the landscape tended to fragment. Furthermore, the average carbon emissions of areas with severe soil erosion were more than 6 times higher than that of areas with minor erosion. These results indicate that REDD+ not only reduces carbon emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation, but also provides other ecological benefits, such as mitigating forest fragmentation, preserving biodiversity, and conserving soil and water. From this perspective, REDD+ provides sustainable forest management and ecological benefits.